From their Grand Prix victory, the duo moved forward into the CDI-W Grand Prix Freestyle on Sept. 30, taking second place on a score of 73.150%.
“This was only the second time Christo has competed in the Grand Prix Freestyle, so it still feels a little unfamiliar to the both of us,” explained Creech, who first entered a Freestyle with Chrevi’s Christo during a trip to Europe this summer, taking third place at the CDI 3* Hartpury in Great Britain. “With a little more routine, I believe we can improve our performance further, but our time in Europe was amazing and helped to develop Christo to become a better competitor. Riding amongst so many great riders sharpens your horse and yourself.”
As for their future plans, Creech explained, “Christo will now have some time to rest, which will definitely include lots of hacking and enjoying this beautiful fall weather. Then we will start getting ready for the Florida season, and hopefully the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games.”
Claiming a Grand Prix Freestyle win for the second week in a row was Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu of Ottawa, ON and All In (Tango x Damiro), a 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding she co-owns with her husband, Marc-Andre Beaulieu and father, Craig Fraser. After earning their first big tour victory during the CDI-W NEDA Fall Festival in New York, Fraser-Beaulieu and All In added another Freestyle win to their record and set a new personal best score after earning a score of 75.500% in Devon. The duo also picked up third place in the CDI-W Grand Prix on Sept. 29 on a score of 69.720%.
“To win the Freestyle, and to have a personal best score at the same time is just a bonus,” said Fraser-Beaulieu, who has been competing at the FEI level with All In since 2013 and was part of Canada’s Silver Medal Dressage Team at the 2015 Pan American Games. “My freestyle was created by Joost Peters, who composed the music, and this was my fourth time riding this Freestyle.”
Next for Fraser-Beaulieu will be riding in the Carl Hester Syposium set for Oct. 21-22, 2017 in Palgrave, ON, possibly followed by Toronto’s Royal Horse Show in November. She will then kick off the new year by traveling to Wellington, FL to compete at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in the hopes of qualifying for the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG).
London 2012 Olympians, Jacqueline Brooks of Cedar Valley, ON and D Niro (D-Day x Napoleon 625), an 18-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding owned by Mary Brooks and Brookhaven Dressage Inc., ensured Canada took all three top spots in the CDI-W Grand Prix Freestyle. Canadian veterans known for their freestyle performances, the duo have been delighting crowds within Canada and internationally for many years. In Devon, they earned their third place finish on a score of 70.875%.
Fellow Canadian Olympian, Belinda Trussell of Stouffville, ON earned back-to-back second place finishes in Devon, riding her up-and-coming partner, Tattoo 15 (Tuareg x Ramiro’s Son), a 14-year-old Westphalian gelding. They started out with a score of 66.780% in the CDI 3* Grand Prix (for Grand Prix Special) on Sept. 29, then improved their score to 68.529% the following day in the CDI Grand Prix Special.
Trussell also dominated the highly competitive small tour - which featured 25 entries from Canada, the United States and even Germany – this time partnered with Carlucci (Contendro I x Compliment), a 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Barbara Holden Sinclair. To kick things off, they scored 72.982% to win the CDI Prix St. Georges on Sept. 29, then earned a second win on Sept. 30 in the CDI Intermediate I on Sept. 30 (73.465%).
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